Not Acceptable!

The brutally honest assessment from Rob Page following the Port Vale FA Cup exit on Sunday! Any hopes of Vale securing a plum money-spinning tie in the New Year were ended on Sunday when Exeter ended the Valiants’ interest in the FA Cup for another year with a two-nil win at St James Park.

Page, when addressing the media following the defeat pulled no punches admitting what he saw was ‘not acceptable’ with it ’embarrassing’ with the players not only letting themselves down but the club down.

‘Not acceptable. There aren’t too many times I’ve stood here representing that group of players saying it was embarrassing, not acceptable. They’ve let themselves down and the club down but that’s how I feel right now, very angry.

‘I told them at half time it wasn’t acceptable and to go out and do something about it but credit to them. I thought they were excellent first half and thoroughly deserved it so taking nothing away from them. We were as bad as they were good.’

Exeter won it thanks to an early goal from Jordan Tillson and the clinching last minute goal from Ollie Watkins to see them rewarded with a third round meeting with Liverpool! What wasn’t good enough about the defeat?

There wasn’t anything good! He added.

‘Everything. First half they outplayed us, out battled us, out fought us. They had more enthusiasm. I said to them, forget formations, it’s enthusiasm to want to get on the ball and do something with it and we had none of that first half. It was a little bit better second half but, no, not acceptable.’

As the cliché goes, but is most definitely demanded on Saturday, he finished by saying Vale have to move on with him demanding a performance against Scunthorpe in League 1.

Ben Purkiss, speaking on the Official Website, who was back in the starting XI after injury added.

‘For whatever reason we didn’t start particularly well and we went behind to a sloppy goal. Then I thought we were coming into the game just before half time, had an opportunity with Ajay, which hits the bar.

‘Second half we didn’t really get a foothold in the game. I thought they kept the ball really well, overloaded us in the middle of the park. I thought their clearances, they were cute and they retained possession, played the ball well and I felt we were a bit sloppy.’